The topics for this week’s report include the latest on Syrian refugees in Georgia, 2nd Amendment protections in Georgia, the accidental breach of Georgia voter’s privacy, and preventing the replacement of a local bridge.

Syrian refugees: Governor Deal’s battle with the Obama Administration’s attempt to place unscreened Syrian refugees in Georgia has taken an ominous turn. Governor Deal has issued instructions that no state agency is to cooperate in the Federal government’s policy that could endanger the lives and property of Georgians. Among these is our refusal to process food stamp applications for these individuals who are being forced into our state against our will. It is bad enough that Obama will not share information on how these so-called refugees are vetted for security risks, if they are vetted at all. Now the Obama Administration is encouraging refugees to sue the State of Georgia under the Federal equal protection laws. If we give food stamps to one group, we are obligated to serve the rest. It is unbelievable that we have a President who is siding with foreigners over a sovereign state that is protecting its own citizens. My answer is to stop processing all applications for food stamps. That is fair to all groups involved, and for the first time, it would be fair to the taxpayers.

Gun Laws: As a watch dog group NPR has issued a national report on state gun control laws, fortunately, Georgia stands out for a lack of gun-control laws. The report cites Georgia as having the most pro-gun laws in the nation since the passage of HB 60 in 2014, a bill I was proud to co-sponsor. According to the report, the following items put Georgia in the pro-gun column:

• Georgia does not require a license or a permit to own a firearm, and the state does not require a waiting period to purchase a firearm.

• Georgia does not require background checks for gun buyers in private sales or gun shows. Furthermore, Georgia is only one of eight states that forbid registration by law.

• Georgia is one of only 12 states that allow the open carry of handguns by permit holders, and Georgia has no restriction on the open carry of long guns.

Voter data breach: A massive data breach at the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office exposed the personal information of Georgia voter’s, such as social security numbers and birthdates. Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp has announced plans to offer 6.2 million voters a year of free credit and identity theft monitoring services. Apparently, an employee inadvertently released the information on a series of disks containing the private information. The disks have since been recovered. The company CSID has been hired to provide the credit monitoring services, and the service should be available by the time you read this article. Direct access to CSID’s website can be found at www.sos.ga.gov if you would like to take advantage of Sec. Kemps offer.

Hazlehurst Bridge/Hwy 221: Many citizens have contacted me with concerns about plans to detour traffic as much as fifty miles during the construction of the new bridge over the Altamaha River between Uvalda and Hazlehurst. I have met with Georgia DOT Commissioner, Russell McMurry, who has pledged his assistance in changing the current plan that would keep the current bridge open for traffic while the new bridge is being constructed. Our goal is to secure an additional 3 million dollars to accommodate the revised plan. While there is certainly no guarantee when dealing with the Federal Transportation Agency, we have a compelling case for the additional funds. To close the bridge for 2 years and detour traffic would cause a major economic disruption to our local economies and endanger lives of citizens seeking emergency medical care. The change will add about 9 months to the project as we deal with numerous federal agencies that will have to approve the new plan for issues such as safety and environmental impact on the Altamaha River. I promise to try to prevent the closing of the Hazlehurst Bridge, and will make this project my top transportation priority.

Representative Greg Morris represents the citizens of District 156, which includes portions of Appling, Jeff Davis, Montgomery, and Toombs counties. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 1998, and currently serves as the Chairman of the Banks & Banking Committee. He also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Resources and the Code Revision, Natural Resources & Environment, and Rules committees.

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